see a couple of inches. the wintry mix will mix in with rain south and east of d.c., and all the precipitation moves out by afternoon and evening on saturday. coming up, i'll tell you more about this winter storm and give you a breakdown of who will see the snow and who will see that wintry slushy stuff that will all be in your full forecast. derek, back to you. >> let's hope it's more than .2 of an inch. all right, a last-ditch meeting to avoid that fiscal cliff it appears has just wrapped up at that time white house. president obama called congressional leaders to the white house. the hope was he could hash out the framework for a possible deal. danielle nottingham joins us with the latest. okay, did they get it done, danielle? >> reporter: derek, we're just not sure what happened. all four leaders left the white house without speaking to the media. we can only assume that means this wasn't a productive meeting. top congress impressional leaders left the white house

after a last-ditch fiscal k cliff meeting with president obama. the closed door meeting was an attempt to avoid the automatic tax headaches and spending cuts set to king at the start of the new year. with just three days to go republicans and democrats are still blaming each other. >> i want to thank all of you for being here to call upon the republicans not to drop the ball on the middle class. >> reporter: there was a new year's eve style rally saying the fiscal cliff ball is in the republicans court. >> it's republicans who are holding hostage the middle class in america so that the wealthy don't have to pay their fair share. >> we need two words. presidential leadership, while not just taxing rich people. >> reporter: tennessee republicans lamar alexander and bob corker said the president has to take the lead. corker was not optimistic about the white house meeting. >> we're going end one a small kick the can down the road bill

that creates another fiscal cliff to deal with this fiscal cliff. >> reporter: today's meeting at the white house is the first time since mid-november that at the present time has had all four congressional leaders in the same ram at the same time. their past fiscal cliff talks have not been productive. adding to the urgency, 2 million unemployed americans will lose their benefits on saturday if a deal is not reached. the nation's borrowing limit to finance is 16 trillion will be maxed out by monday. and it is unclear how lawmakers will move forward at this point, but if the senate is able to make a deal before the house returns to capitol hill sunday, house members will have about 24 hours to approve it. live at the white house, danielle nottingham. derek, back to you. >> danielle, thank you. derek, you might remember a few weeks ago we built, then broke out the 9news fiscal cliff soapbox, giving our passionate viewers a chance to sound off on the impending

fiscal cliff. now that the cliff is within spitting distance we thought it might be a good time to head out again with the soapbox. earlier today that's exactly what i did with a lot of help from photojournalist chip and producer elizabeth. >> reporter: what do you do for a living? >> i'm in the government. >> reporter: so you're an insider. >> maybe an outsider. >> reporter: what do you make of this whole fiscal cliff mess? >> what should i think? it seems like a giant baby- sitting gig in a way. >> i'm really disappointed because, one, our lives are in other people's hands, and if you raise the taxes, then how are we going to survive for 2013 and on? >> i'm just, like i say, waiting to see what comes up, hope for the best. >> a lot of people don't know that we will automatically see a 2% decrease in our take-home tax. >> reporter: are you angry? >> not so much angry. just frustrated and confused by it all. the lack of willingness to

strike a deal. >> reporter: what would you like lawmakers to give you regarding the fiscal cliff compromise? >> i want them to come together and fix this problem. >> come together for a common goal. >> we really need a solution here. >> give back to the citizens, especially the hard working ones such as myself. >> coming to a compromise on spending. >> i think we're going go over the cliff. >> if we don't we'll fall apart. >> what, three days left? four days left? no, we'll good over the cliff, but i don't think there's going to be any long-term deal. >> can you please not raise our taxes. >> if anything, they'll make a short-term deal to kick the can down the road a bit. >> i'm very concerned about it. i think they need to put their personal vendettas behind them, and once that is achieved they will be able to come together in one union. >> if we go over the cliff, the stocks and the market take a hit, you know. what happens then? what happens? there's no way to sort of retroactively fix a recession. i know everyone is confident, hey, we can go over the cliff and we'll fix it, but what

happens if the markets take a 20% nose dive? >> joining me now to discuss the immediate tax implications if the u.s. goes over the fiscal cliff is linda, president of taxmasters in rockville. linda, thank you. >> we're all concerned about the fiscal cliff. our minds are preoccupied. first question what will the average taxpayer see if, in fact, we go over the fiscal cliff? >> everybody starting in january who makes under $110,000 will lose immediately 2% of this auto paycheck. >> that's a lot. so aperson making $75,000, family of four, how much of a difference will that make do you think in their typical paycheck? >> it could be somewhere between $40 and 60, depending on their benefits that they get. but for a normal family it could be maybe $2,000 a year or more just because they're going to lose the deduction for children. >> is there anything people can

do at this point in anticipation of the fiscal cliff to shelter themselves from a hit like that? >> oh my goodness, if we just knew what was going to happen, there are a couple of things maybe. i mean, you might want to shift some income to this year, but you don't have much time to do it, unless you sold some stocks at a gain. >> what are some of the other concerns of your clients? i know you're hearing a it lot. >> we get lots of questions but a lot of it is based on misinformation. some of the laws they are going to change won't affect everybody. for instance, the 3.8 tax on the sale of a house. it will only affect people who have a huge gain on the sale of their house, and we have to explain that. >> i spoke a few weeks ago with alice, the former director of office of management and budget, and she said she did not think we would go over the fiscal cliff but she said if we did she thought it's a misnomer, that fiscal cliff is not really the right term. it would be more like a fiscal gentle slope because we wouldn't feel the effects of it, most taxpayers, immediately. do you agree or disagree?

>> i agree a lot. the only problem, if they don't decide what they're going to do about to patch for the alternative minimum tax we won't be able to file our tax returns, because that's an actual form that has to be printed out and we can't print that until we know what goes on it, so it could hold up people's refunds. >> could be bad news. >> very bad for those getting refunds. if you have questions log on to our website, wusa9.com, or our wusa 9 facebook page. linda will help answer some of your questions coming up on 9news at 6:00. derek. matt, four people were taken to the hospital this morning after the driver of a stolen car smashed into a metro bus while fleeing the cops. it happened right on the d.c./maryland line at wheeler and southern avenue. kristin fisher has more from the scene. >> reporter: what happened was, police spotted three people driving inside a stolen car a mile from here. police tried to pull them over but they didn't stop, they sped

off, and police chose not to pursue them because this is a very busy road. wheeler road. a busy time of day at 9:00 a.m. but that didn't stop these suspects. they were zigging and zagging in and out of traffic, very dangerous. then when they tried to turn here on southern avenue they spun out of control and slammed into a metro bus. a head-on crash that september the metro bus driver and one passenger to the hospital with minor injuries. two of the suspects in the stopple car were also taken to the hospital, but all three suspects were apprehended by prince george's county police. >> i'm mad, i'm really mad and i'm upset. >> reporter: sharon gardner says this stolen car is the same one that was used as a getaway car for a group of men that stole her purse at a gas station an hour before the crash. >> all i noticed at the time, that it was a maryland plate, and that's it. >> reporter: how did you hear about this accident here?

>> my husband is a d.c. police officer, and the d.c. officers saw me going back down south dakota avenue, after i went home, he saw me and told me they found the guy that took my pocketbook. >> police are now investigating if the three people are responsible for several other robberies this morning in maryland. in oxon hill, kristin fisher, 9news. >> so far the three suspects have not been charged with anything but police say those charges are coming. matt. derek, gun enthusiasts are running into dozens of protesters. at day one of what's being called the nation's gun show. debra alfarone joins us live from chantilly with the latest chapter in the gages' gun control debate. debra. >> reporter: matt, protesters certainly are outnumbered by the gun enthusiasts. this place is so packed and they are so outnumbered that we had to park over here, and we got here early. but still, the protesters certainly led the way with the decibel level. i want you to now listen to a

back-around-forth showdown that we got when we pulled up. >> why do y'all act like you kill about kids? >> because he we do. >> you care more about cash. i don't he see you protesting no banks. they have armed guards. why don't protest them? >> what does that have to do with an assault weapon? what does that have to do with a criminal being able to buy a sniper rifle? >> ever heard of the second amendment? >> the second amendment and the supreme court made it abundantly clear that there's nothing inconsistent with the right to bear arms and banning assault weapons. you know what, you're an idiot. >> as you can see, it got a little bit heated there. those protesters are from an organization called code pink. they call themselves a woman- initiated grass-roots peace movement. you might have seen them at the big nra press conference, the people interrupting with the big signs. they weren't allowed to stand here by the expo center. this line was snaking is

around, and this parking lot absolutely packed with gun enthusiasts and people that support gun rights, but they kept those protesters all the way down this way. it's hard to even show you. we can't even pan that far away. they kept them down by the entrance, and that led to a lot of different matches, but i'll tell you, people were driving past, throwing out couple of comments, then they kept on driving. this is, again, the first day of this gun expo. it is going to be open today until about 8:00 p.m. as you can see, pretty busy here. live in chantilly, debra alfarone, 9news. >> heated indeed. thank you debra. faith-based demonstrators staged another rally at a gun dealership in district heights, maryland. members of a group representing 25 churches say they're devastated by the deadly school shooting. they offered prayers for victims and called for closing of the gun store which they say has spread so much pain through their community. coming up, officers are wounded after a suspect gets ahold of a gun and starts shooting up a police station.

we had a nice, pleasant day, but big changes are on the way. a winter storm is approaching. i'll tell what you you can expect in the full forecast. i'm scott broom with highway crews ramping up for some incoming snow. coming up, the latest travel advisories for your holiday weekend.

a live look at the white house where in about a half- hour or so, we should see president obama step forth and make his first statement since coming back from vacation, regarding that fiscal cliff. as we reported, the president met with congress impressional leaders awhile ago. they spent some time but then those leaders left. they didn't say much. the speculation is still the cliff is rushing -- or we're rushing toward it. president obama, 5:45. we await. matt. an update on the future of a popular kayak rental business. the national park service says it wants to bring jack's boathouse in line with facilities at other national parks. the spokesperson says jack's boathouse has been operating on a month to month lease that has not changed since 1982, and that the lease is not tip name of the current owner. the park service sent the owner an avic shun notice last week but put those plans on hold after a public outcry. the park service still plans to invite bids for a new

concession contract to operate a bet house in the same space. highway officials are warning travelers to stay off the road if possible this weekend, especially tomorrow morning. >> scott broom is in maryland. they are preparing for the incoming winter weather. >> reporter: well, it's in the a particularly big storm that's coming in, but maryland highway crews, nonetheless, are expecting enough snow to coat roads with hazardous ice and snow beginning late tonight and throughout the day tomorrow around the washington area, especially north and west. they are fueling up and loading up as crews here in central maryland expect to be called in at about 2:00 a.m. to start fighting incoming snow and motorists are think about travel plans. >> i do have travel plans, and that's to stay home. >> if you haven't been thinking about driving in winter weather, now is the time. >> at the state highway administration's command center, laura is keeping tabs on the developing forecast.

>> it's never a good time to drive at the onset of a storm. so if you are planning on traveling this weekend keep a close eye on the winter storm on saturday, and if possible, delay travel until later in the afternoon after the storm passes or even into sunday. we're pre-treating roads right now in the d.c. and baltimore metropolitan areas with the idea of being proactive, placing salt brine on the road. >> reporter: the snow is expected to start before dawn and continue throughout the day. there are travel advisories in just about every direction you could be moving except towards maryland's eastern shore. so, be ready. in maryland, scott broom, 9news now. >> be ready, that's good advice from scott broom. now, in washington, d.c., there's the first full deployment of salt and sand trucks, to be on the streets by

4:00 a.m. >> erica, what is the latest? >> that's right around when the precipitation is to be arriving so good idea to jump the gun and get those salt trucks out before the worst of it arrives. let's take a look from our michael & son cam. 38 degrees currently with a dew point of 25. that's a critical number for us. the dew point is well below freezing, and if the remains there as the precipitation arrives we could see what's called evaporational cooling which means that the atmosphere will get cooler as a result of the falling precipitation. so we will have that snow and wintry mix approaching during the overnight hours. most of the snow will be in the morning hours on saturday and snow is expected north and west of the beltway. a mix and rain south and east of the beltway. but in the beltway itself, it looks like we could get an actual accumulation of snow. more on how much to expect in a

minute. the precipitation ends on saturday afternoon. right now we're still above freezing throughout the entire area. 37 in leesburg and manassas, 38 in d.c., 41 in annapolis, 37 in culpeper, but you can see the precipitation on the way. the difference here, of course, not only that the precipitation is further it to the south, but also this is during the daytime. this is going to arrive toward us during the overnight hours, when temperatures tend to really cool down, which is why i'm expecting a little bit more out of this system. and nine future cast shows you exactly how much you can expect in your backyard. only about, well, quarter to a half inch of snow for most of our northern and western suburbs by 11:00 a.m. on saturday, but, of course, more snow accumulating in the panhandle, then it will start to overspread and head off to the north and east, and you will see the bigger accumulations once again out in garrett county, the big winner with more than seven inches, but i think we will see a coating to an inch in the district. our nine future cast is pick up

on that possibility as well. overnight tonight snow showers arriving after midnight, closer to 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. it is going to get rather chilly and essential cold enough for snow as we move into the overnight hours. a mixture of snow and rain showers throughout the morning on saturday, with temperatures in the 30s. some of this will melt, but especially north and west of the city it is going to stick. then in the afternoon the showers clear out and we'll turn partly cloudy, 35 to 40. winds out of the north at 10 to 15. you can see in the green mostly rain but a wintry mix throughout the beltway and points south and east, then the snow all north and west of the beltway. over the next three days after we clear out of our yellow alert day on saturday, it will be okay on sunday, though chilly and breezy with a high of 40. monday, new year's eve, looks like the best day of the week with a high of 44 and partly cloudy skies. seven-day outlook. new year's day, another chance for a snow shower or rain

shower but no accumulation on new year's day. no travel concerns there. but then it gets bitterly cold with temperatures in the 30s for your afternoon highs later on that week. does not look very pleasant. i guess it's good weather to head back to work for people who have been off. >> well, it is january, or it will be. >> it will be, that's right. coming up, for the second time this month new york city cops are on the lookout for somebody who killed somebody by shoving them in front of a moving subway train. but up next, a new york woman is arrested for an alleged charity scam following the newtown school tragedy.

the town of newtown, connecticut is saying, thanks so much, but please, no more gifts following the school tragedy. so many people are sending in their tributes, workers can't keep up with all of those packages. instead, folks who want to offer condolences are being asked to help people in their own communities. sandy hook elementary students return to class next week, but in the many time newtown is keeping them occupied with fun activities since the shootings. officials from the town, the school districts, and nonprofit agencies have sponsored pizza

parties, field trips, and toy give-aways. and the newtown youth academy is opening its doors to all of the kids in town at no cost. we are now getting a look at a woman federal authorities say used the connecticut school shooting to try to scam people on facebook. 37-year-old noel alba was released on bond after she was charged with lying to the fbi. she allegedly posed as a relative of one of the slain children, then solicited donations for a fake funeral fund. she says she didn't do it. derek, three officers were shot this morning inside a new jersey police station. gloucester township police say it happened while a domestic violence suspect was being processed. there was a struggle and the suspect got his hands on a police officer's gun and shot the three officers. one officer was struck just below his bulletproof vest and is now in stable condition. the other two officers suffered

superficial wounds. several other officers returned fire killing the suspect. in other news tonight the new york city police department released surveillance video of a woman wanted for killing a man by pushing him in front of an oncoming train. the video shows the woman running from the elevated platform at a station in queens last night. eyewitnesses told police they saw the woman following the man while mumbling. police say she got up from a bench and shoved the man onto the track. it was the second time this month someone has been pushed to their death on the new york subway system. coming up, only on 9, the amazing story of a man who came back from the dead with a whole new outlook on life. but up next, keeping us safe over the holidays. we go along for the ride as police cruise area roads cracking down on drunk drivers.

we are still awaiting president obama who is expected in that briefing room you see live before you to make a statement on the situation involving the fiscal cliff. they tell us it will be around 5:45. of course, 9news will bring it to you live when it happens. matt. derek, 9 wants you to know that police will be out in force keeping you safe this holiday weekend w. new year's just days away police are cracking down on drunken driving and urging folks to

keep the party off the road. >> reporter: we first met park police sergeant adam during the day. >> like i say to everybody, it's a front row seat to the greatest show on earth. >> reporter: but he said his best work is at night. so he invited us out friday night to bw parkway. >> we're stopping people that have alcohol levels that are on average a .16, which is double the legal limit. >> reporter: the shift starts off slow for this trained drug recognition expert awarded for his record dui arrests. >> these tags are not legit, they're fake tags. >> reporter: but officers never know what to expect when they pull over that next car. >> when you start reaching in the back seat, i don't know what you're reaching for, dude. let me see your hands at all times. >> i'm not a bad person. >> dude, you're killing me. you've got an ankle bracelet

and everything like that. >> reporter: police inevitably find the drunk drivers they know are out there. to these seasoned experts, signs are obvious. police say on a typical weekend night, one out of seven drivers leaving a local bar is a dwi. the average violator drives under the influence 80 times a year. that's once every four to five nights. >> how much have you had to drink tonight? >> i had one drink. >> just one drink? hold your head estimate. >> reporter: but he can tell after the eye exam the driver is above the legal limit. >> he has a slurred speech, red, watery bloodshot eyes. he has nystagmus. you're not in charge, i am. >> you can refuse a breathalyzer except when you're driving on a federal road and stopped by a federal officer. bw parkway and park police meet both standards.

>> we'll give you a roadside breath test to see if you're okay. >> i refuse it. >> turn around, put your hands behind your back. you are going to be placed under arrest for driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. >> reporter: out of 40,000 deaths on the road annually, nearly 12,000 of them are caused by drunk driving. delia goncalves, 9news. >> d.c. area police will have increased patrols this weekend into the new year's. if you've had too much to drink and need a safe ride please call 1-800-200-taxi. fares under $30 are free. sky 9 was over a nasty wreck this morning on rockville pike around 10:30 this morning. investigators say the driver of a volkswagen crossed the median and continued driving, crashing into on coming cars. a total of six people were injured. one person was hospitalized with potentially life- threatening injuries.

four others were also taken to the hospital. traffic was rerouted while the road was shut down for the cleanup and investigation. no word on possible charges. a calm, cool 911 dispatcher. a desperate mom's prayer on facebook, and the power of love and friendship. all of that came together to pull a hyattsville man back from the brink of death avenue tried to take his own life. tonight, david dawson wants to help others considering suicide learn from what he has been through. only on 9, debra alfarone spoke to dawson, his mom, and that dispatcher. >> reporter: they get more than a million calls here at the prince george's county 911 center but tonight i want to tell you about one call that ended up saving one life and impacted so many others. >> i just wanted her to get somebody here right away. i knew that he needed somebody right away. >> reporter: linda dawson needed a lifeline. one month ago her son david tried to kill himself. she called nine one one, and it was the toughest day of her

life. >> so i took a deep breath and she started counting. >> one, two, three, four. >> and she had me count with her. >> one, two, three, four. >> and i continued the cpr the whole time. >> reporter: miles away, first time mom to be and prince george's county 911 dispatcher dyena edwards kept calm. >> have somebody open the front door. one, two, three, four. >> linda managed to get david breathing before ems arrived. >> we get to the hospital, and at the hospital he flat-lined three more times. >> what followed was three more days of doctors with bad news. >> from then on, that he wasn't going to make it. and i didn't want to hear that. >> linda poured her heart out to friends and family on facebook. >> and i asked them if they could come up and visit him, talk to him, touch him, and over 60 people came and saw him that day. it's miracle. it's definitely a miracle.

i'm thankful for everybody that helped, because, you know what, i wasn't going to let go of him, i wasn't going to let go of him. this is my child. >> reporter: david is doing fine. the 24-year-old says he took meds to try and end it all after battling years of chronic testicular pain that countless procedures and operations couldn't fix. he says the outpouring of love and care showed him the value his life had. >> all my friends have told me after this, they're like, you're one of the best friends i've ever had. it puts things in perspective. >> not many people live to hold a book of their own eulogy. >> i miss you so much, i just can't wrap my head around this. >> it makes me feel like i have a purpose, and i believe that purpose is to prevent other people from committing suicide. >> reporter: from the darkness into the light, it's a lesson not many learn but one david says he will he never forget. >> i'm glad that he has a new outlook on life and that he

could take that experience and change the way he is every day. >> reporter: dawson says he really wants to start helping out with the suicide prevention organization to help people who are going through things just like what he went through. if you have any ideas or any information post them to our facebook page and join the conversation. debra alfarone, 9news. the tributes are pouring in today for general norman schwarzkopf. the commander who drove the iraqi forces out of kuwait back in 1991 and operation desert storm died yesterday. complications from pneumonia. he was 78. president obama said, and we quote, with the passing of general norman schwarzkopf we've lost an american original. former president george h. w. bush called him a good and decent man, and former secretary of state colin powell says america has lost a great patriot and a great soldier. derek, americans are now banned from adopting russian

children. vladimir putin signed the ban into law today. law also blocks dozens of russian children now in the process of being adopted by american families from leaving the country. the law was passed in retaliation for a u.s. law that calls for sanctions against russian officials deemed human rights violators. critics say the russian law victimizes children to make a political point. there are now an estimated 740,000 orphans in russia. coming up, man tries to rescue man's best friend and ends up needing some rescuing himself. erica. well, it's still night and pleasant out here on the weather terrace, but, of course, a winter storm is on the way, and that's going to bring an end to the nice weather. i will tell you what you can expect and when in your full forecast. but up next, a cat rescue that's not for the faint of heart. fortunately, this cat's leap of faith has a happy ending. don't forget, we're answering your questions about the fiscal cliff at wusa9.com. stay with us, we'll be right

back.

a flying cat caught on camera. this is video from bogota, colombia.

look at the kitty. just as rescuers got close to the cat on the tower, the cat, for whatever reason, said, i'm going to make a jump fort it. fortunately four firemen on the ground caught that cat in a net. the rescue was complicated by a high-voltage cable. other than some minor injuries and the fact that the fact that the cat was not particularly bright when it got up there, it was just fine. >> did you see that cat? all out. in michigan we've got a scary dog tale but this add happy ending. >> an 11-year-old hound named bark slipped into the ice in lake erie. the owner called his brother who then fell waist high into the water. they both waited in the frigid waters more than an hour for rescuers. >> i was talking to them, trying to keep him warm, trying to rub him and get some blood flowing through his body. >> rescuers did eventually

reach the man and the dog. nobody was hurt j. after the break, thrown out of the grocery store. that's an occupational hazard when you're investigative reporter russ ptacek and you're on the food patrol. your food alert is up next.

get ready, we have got a confrontation caught on camera. it's investigative reporter russ ptacek getting thrown out of a grocery store, and mice leave their mark at a popular japanese market. it's time for the food alert. >> reporter: grab your smartphones. in a moment, how to know about these restaurant closures even before broadcast. but first, a lot of you have tweeted me ask, how due pick these restaurants? they are serious violations that couldn't be fixed while the inspector was there. so the health department ordered them closed. in temple hills at fuji mountain steakhouse on branch avenue, the kitchen gets good reviews for woks of japanese cooking. >> now that i know, it may not be so g. >> reporter: so good that customers order and pay in advance.

>> the health department found rodent droppings. >> oh my gosh. and i paid. oh my gosh. >> reporter: what would we find? we'll show you in a moment. but first, this closure on bening road southeast at dollar plus food store. inspectors shut it down reporting unsanitary conditions including no hot water, no sanitation supervisor, and no one who could even answer basic food safety questions. >> get out of the store. >> are you the manager? >> i said get out of the store. >> get out of the store. >> we're here to talk to you. >> you've got to get permission from the other than. >> the owner didn't respond. >> reporter: the same rules that apply to restaurants that shut down this grocery store also apply to liquor stores that handle food. at chap's liquor, inspectors suspended its license for no hot water. >> i'm from channel 9. we're here about the health department closure. >> reporter: at turntable they're known for their

jamaican style ox tail. inspectors closed the cafe and bar citing a dirty refrigerator, food without expiration date, no food safety manager, and no hot water. they showed us the hot water, a clean kitchen, and proof of a food safety manager on duty. >> thank you. can you just show us the kitchen real quick? >> reporter: back at fuji mountain, in marlowe heights center, inspectors credited rodent droppings on bags of flour, salt, and sugar, and in the sushi area. and we looked, too, but -- >> no rough department tracks. >> the manager says they cammed an exterminator, cleaned up, and put in doorstoppers to seal rodents out. >> reporter: when you say a door attorney, you mean this thing here? >> yeah, it keeps the rats away. >> reporter: you tightened your doors, then you patched up the ceiling. >> that's right. so we tried to make sure we're

doing everything right. >> reporter: they all passed reinspection and are now back in business. now, to know first, follow at russ ptacek on twitter. i'm investigative reporter russ ptacek, 9news. >> so glad the mouse droppings were away from the sushi area. >> exactly, yes. >> i like the way russ gets down on his hands and knee looking for the tracks. >> he sells out, no question. >> he's dedicated. i'm dedicated to making a good forecast four. >> and? >> and we have snow in the forecast. i didn't say it was the forecast you wanted. i said it was the forecast that i think we'll see as we head into tomorrow morning. let's take a look outside now with the michael andson weather cam. a -- michael & son weather cam. at reagan national 38. the dew point 25. that's critical because the dew point is going to be low enough to cause what's called evaporational cooling as the snow and rain showers start to fall. they will cool the atmosphere below them so we will have a little bit of an accumulation out of this.

a look at weather headlines. the snow and mix is approaching, and most of the snow will fall during the morning hours on saturday. snow north and west of the city. a mix with rain south and east of the city, and then in the district itself, we will get a light accumulation with a little bit of rain mixed in. the precipitation ends on saturday afternoon, and then it tushes windy and chilly. right now it's already down to the freezing mark in gaithersburg. 37 in leesburg and manassas. 38 in d.c. 37 in andrews, and 34 degrees in cumberland. so we are going to see those temperatures continue to drop during the overnight. here come the clouds, and also you can see the rain. but this is rain during the daytime. in the southeastern united states, as it makes its way towrsd it will start to fall as snow. the snow showers arrive after midnight and as we head into the overnight hours, i think we will see around four or -- around 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. is the best time for the snow to start arriving. 26 to 32 for your overnight

lows with winds out of the southeast at 5 to 10 miles per hour. a mixture of snow and rain showers with temperatures in the 30s tomorrow, and then in the afternoon we'll see those showers clearing out of here, and it turns partly cloudy with a high between 35 and 40. so anything that falls won't stick around too long. a look at what i'm expecting. a trace to an inch in everything shaded in gray. one to two inches for everything shaded in white. that includes northern montgomery county, all of loudoun county and frederick county. two to four inches further to the north in frederick county, virginia. so a yellow alert for tomorrow because of that snow and rain mix. 40 degrees for your afternoon high. breezy sunday, but back in the green zone, a high of 40. a really nice new year's eve on tap with a high of 44. a look at your seven-day forecast. it turns very cold as we turn the calendar over to 2013 but on new year's eve itself we will be fine. new year's day a chance for snow or rain showers but no

accumulation. all right that is all for your weather. now time for sports. actually, we are going to take a minute away from sports because president obama is due to come out any minute in the white house and talk live regarding that fiscal cliff. in fact, i think we've got a look at the conference room where he is expected to show up. we were given a few minutes ago the two-minute warning, but these things are notoriously inexact, but at any minute the president will step forward. here he comes. president obama on the fiscal cliff. >> good afternoon, everybody. for the past couple of months, i've been working with leaders of both parties to try and frnlg an agreement that will grow our economy and shrink the deficit. a balanced plan that would cut spending in a responsible way but also ask the wealthiest americans to pay a little more. and above all, protect our middle class and everybody who is striving to get into the middle class. i still want to get this done. it's the right thing to do for our families, for our

businesses and for our entire economy. but the hour for immediate action is here. it is now. we're now at the point where in just four days, every american's tax rates are scheduled to go up by law. every american's paycheck will get considerably smaller. and that would be the wrong thing to do for our economy it would be bad for middle class families and it would be bad for businesses that depend on family spending. fortunately congress can prevent it from happening if they act right now. i just add good and constructive discussion here at the white house with senate and house leadership about how to prevent this tax hike on the middle class. and i'm optimistic we may still be able to reach an agreement that can pass both houses in time. senators reed and mcconnell are working on such an agreement as

we speak. but, if an agreement isn't reached in time, between senator reid and senator mcconnell, then i will urge senator reid to bring it to floor a basic package for an up or down vote, one that protects the middle class from an income tax hike, extends the vital lifeline of unemployment insurance to 2 million americans looking for a job, and lays the groundwork for future cooperation on more economic growth and deficit reduction. guys, i can hear you over there. i believe such proposal could pass both houses with bipartisan majorities as long as those leaders allow to the actually come to a vote. if members of the house or the senate want to vote no, they can. but we should let everybody vote. that's the way this is supposed to work. if you can get a majority in the house and you can get a majority in the senate then we

should be able to pass the bill. the american people are watching what we do. obviously their patience is already thin. this is deja vu all over again. america wonders why it is that in this town for some reason you can't get stuff done in an organized timetable. why everything always has to wait until the last minute. well, we're now at the last minute. and the american people are not going to have any patience for a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy. not right now. the economy is growing, but sustaining that trend is going to require elected officials to do their jobs. the housing smarkt recovering, but that could be impacted if folks are seeing smaller paychecks. the unemployment rate is the lowest it's been since 2008, but already you are seeing businesses and consumers starting to hold back because of the dysfunction that they

see in washington. economists, business leaders all think that we're poised to grow in 2013 as long as politics in washington don't get in the way of america's progress. so we've got to get this done. i just want to repeat, we had a constructive meeting today. senators reed and mcconnell are discussing a potential agreement where we could get a bipartisan bill out of the house and over to the senate in a timely fashion so that we've met the december 31st deadline. but given how things have been working in this town, we always have to wait and see until it actually happens. the one thing the american people should not to have wait and see is some sort of action. so if we don't see an agreement between the two leaders in the senate, i expect a bill to go on the floor, and i've asked senator reid to do this, put a

bill on the floor that makes sure that taxes on middle-class families don't go up, that unemployment insurance is still available for 2 million people, and that lays the groundwork then for additional deficit reduction and economic growth steps that we can take in the new year. but let's not miss this deadline. that's the bare minimum that we should be able to get done. it shouldn't be that hard since democrats and republicans both say they don't want to see taxes go up on middle-class families. i just have to repeat, outside of washington, nobody understands how it is that this seems to be a repeat pattern over and over again. ordinary folks, they do their jobs. they meet deadlines. they sit down, and they discuss things and then things happen. if there are disagreements, they sort through the

disagreements. the notion that our elected leadership can't do the same thing is mind boggling to them. and needs to stop. so i'm modestly optimistic that an agreement can be achieved. nobody is going to get 100%, but let's make sure that middle- class families in the american economy and the world economy aren't adversely impacted because people can't do their jobs. thank you very much, everybody. >> all right, president obama making a statement there, live from the white house. he said the hour for immediate action is here. he also said that he had a productive meeting earlier today with the senate leadership, harry reid and the republican leader mitch mcconnell. he said he's hopeful that the two of them can work out some kind of plan that can pass the house and senate in a bipartisan way. he didn't give any details on what sort of plan but if they can't work out a deal he's got

a doomsday scenario. >> he said if they couldn't reach a deal he is going to urge senator reid to bring a basic bill to the senate for a basics up and down vote of senators. that package, mr. obama said, would prevent taxes from going up for middle-class americans and would preserve unemployment insurance for those americans who need it. >> he also urged the lawmakers to let that package come to a vote, which has been an issue many times. we are going to take a break and be back in just a minute.